Daily Dose of Hope from New Hope

Daily Dose of Hope

October 12, 2026

Scripture: Genesis 45

Prayer: Holy and Merciful God, We come to you today rejoicing in your holy name. It's amazing that you, the God of all, care about the minute details of our lives. I mean, who are we? But yet, you love us, you care, you died for us! Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Help us, as we move on throughout this day to remember your presence. Guide our words, our actions, and our thoughts. Help us hear your voice as we engage with your Word today. We love you. In Your Name, Amen.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope on this Monday morning. This is the devotional and podcast that complements that New Hope daily Bible reading plan. We are currently nearing the end of a deep dive on the book of Genesis. Today's reading is Genesis 45

It's been twenty -two years since Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery into Egypt and now it's time for the big reveal. This is a really good thing and we are reminded that God's promise to bless Abraham and make him a father of many nations is not going to be deterred. God is going to bless his people. But before Joseph can actually get the words out, he is overcome by emotion. So, he send the servants away and he begins to weep loudly, so loudly that the Egyptians standing outside, and all of Pharoah's household can hear him.

When he can finally choke out some works, Joseph says to them, "I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?" The brothers are terrified at Joseph's presence. Think about this. They betrayed him. They sold him into slavery. And now, they are totally dependent on him for their family's survival. But Joseph is quick to calm them. He makes it clear. God had his hand in this. The point of Joseph coming to Egypt was to preserve life. In Joseph's mind, it may have been the brothers who sold him, but it was God who sent him. This is no small thing. Joseph himself is putting his own tragic experiences into the larger framework of God's plan. He realizes this is much bigger than himself.

Joseph then forgives his brothers. He breaks multigenerational cycles of sibling and family bitterness. This in and of itself is pretty incredible. He asks his brothers to bring his father to Egypt. He will settle his family there where they will be protected from the famine. When Pharoah hears the news of Joseph's brothers paying a visit, he is also elated. Pharoah himself sends gifts and promises that all of them will be well cared for in Egypt.

What man means for harm, God takes and turns it for good.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

October 9, 2026

Scripture: Genesis 44 + Going Deeper with Emmy Roberts

Prayer: Almighty God, We come before you today with both humility and gratefulness. You are so powerful, so holy, and so wise. We need you. We seek you. We are desperate to hear a word from you today, Lord. We also know that we have failed over and over again. Lord, forgive us for our sins, for the ways we fall short. In these next few moments of silence, Lord, hear our prayers...Jesus, help us stay focused on you and your Word today. In Your Name, Amen.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan. We are currently working our way through the book of Genesis, and we are getting close to the end. We have covered a lot of ground. Once we are done with Genesis, we will go right into Exodus.

Today's reading is Genesis 44. Joseph is up to some more trickery. He has his servants put his own silver cup, the one he drinks his wine from at the table, into Benjamin's pack. The brothers have no idea. They head home and Joseph sends people after them, ready to accuse them of theft. They are clueless. Of course they deny taking the cup. But it is found in Benjamin's pack.

This means that Benjamin will be kept in Egypt as a slave. We know the family drama this will cause. Judah speaks up. He offers to take Benjamin's place.

And now for our going deeper discussion with Emmy...

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

October 8, 2026

Scripture: Genesis 43

Prayer: Lord, our Lord, How majestic is your name in all the earth! We magnify your precious and powerful name. How often we forget how mighty you are. You created all. You created us. Thank you, Lord, for who you are. Most of all, thank you for loving us with all our flaws and brokenness. In all we do, in who we are, help us to be more like you. We pray for humility, mercy, and compassion. Help us see others through your eyes. In Your Name, Amen.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan. We are currently working our way through the book of Genesis, and we are getting close to the end. For some perspective, Genesis is the second longest book of the Bible, after Jeremiah. So, we have covered a lot of ground. Once we are done with Genesis, we will go right into Exodus.

Today's reading is Genesis 43. Jacob and his family have gone through the grain the sons brought back from Egypt. It is highly probable that they thought the famine would only last a season. Maybe the Egyptian grain would be enough and last. But we know that isn't going to work. This is going to be a seven-year famine, which is a very long famine. They will be forced to go back down to Egypt.

Jacob initially wants his sons to head back to Egypt without Benjamin. But Judah stands up to him. They know that will be a fruitless endeavor. Joseph (although they don't know yet it's Joseph) has been very clear with them. Bring back your younger brother or you will never see my face again.

We begin to see Judah's leadership develop here. Remember Judah's previous moral decay? He is the one who didn't take care of his daughter-in-law, Tamar. But here we see a different side of him. He knows they need to go to Egypt, and he promises to personally protect Benjamin. If he doesn't return with Benjamin, then Jacob can blame him for the rest of his days. He is willing to be held fully accountable.

We also know that the bloodline will go through Judah. Because the three older brothers had significant moral failings – Reuben slept with his father's concubine and Levi and Simeon were involved in the slaughter of the villagers after Dinah's rape. Judah wasn't a saint by any means, but God must have seen something in his heart. He is growing and learning. He has come a long way from his Tamar days. So, God shows tremendous graciousness toward Judah.

Getting back to the story – all the brothers head back down to Egypt. They are brought to Joseph's house. When Joseph sees Bejamin, he is overcome with emotion and has to leave the room to weep. The pain of loss is still very real to Joseph. At the same time, he recognizes that if it weren't for him being sold into Egypt, he wouldn't be able to help his brothers right now. Lots of mixed feelings.

Because of all these mixed feelings and the pure drama in these chapters, I think sometimes we miss a bigger point. God is pouring out his grace on the entire clan of Abraham. God brought Abraham and his people out of a pagan people group. He showed Abraham and his sons and their crazy families such kindness and patience. He gave them wealth and blessing for no reason at all. They didn't deserve it and yet God did it anyway. Why? Because our God is filled with grace and love. God continues to show his love to those who don't deserve it. We see this throughout the Old and New Testaments. Actually, we see it today, in our own lives.

Take a moment and think about how you have experienced God's grace in your life.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

October 7, 2026

Scripture: Genesis 42

Prayer: Almighty God, We give you glory and praise. Thank you for the ways you care for us. Thank you for the ways you care for our church. Lord Jesus, help us set aside our scattered thoughts. Help us push away distractions and truly focus on you. In these next few moments of silence, Lord, hear our prayers...Holy Spirit, guide our reading and devotional time today. May we hear a word from you. In Your Name, Amen.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan. We are currently doing a deep dive into the book of Genesis and this will be followed by Exodus. Lots of learning and truth! Today's reading is Genesis 42.

The famine that hit Egypt has also affected Canaan, which means that Jacob's family is running out of food. The first part of this chapter is actually kind of comical to me. The patriarch, Jacob, yells at his adult male children to actually go do something. Go to Egypt! Go find grain! Stop standing around and just looking at each other! While the situation is quite dire, we can kind of picture these brothers, now absolutely helpless, unsure which direction to turn. Their elderly father has to kind of snap them back to reality – basically, we all are going to die if you don't do something!

It's decided that the ten oldest brothers will head down to Egypt. Benjamin, the youngest, will stay with Jacob. After the loss of Joseph, it seems that Jacob is very hesitant to let these young ones out of his sight. I get the impression he doesn't entirely trust his older boys, and we know there is good reason for that.

The ten brothers head down to Egypt and encounter Joseph, who holds a very high position in the land. They bow down before him. Did you catch that? They literally bow down before Joseph, just like in Joseph's dreams at age seventeen. It's kind of eerie in a way. But now Joseph isn't a naïve teenager, he is a powerful Egyptian leader. In fact, Joseph holds all the cards and the brothers hold none.

So what does Joseph do? Under the guise of homeland security, Joseph accuses his brothers of being spies and basically has them arrested. It is an odd game he plays with them and we can't tell if he enjoys this or is tormented by it, maybe a little of both. Bottom line: Joseph sends the brothers home with a little grain, with the silver they came with, but with a directive to bring their younger brother, Benjamin back when they return. He holds Simeon hostage just to be sure they come back. Of course, the brothers have no idea they are dealing with Joseph. They assume this is some power-hungry Egyptian official.

But when they get back to Canaan, Jacob has no intention of letting Benjamin go to Egypt. It's obvious that he does not trust Rueben in the least. It makes me wonder – did Jacob possibly suspect foul play when Joseph disappeared? Was there something about that situation that made Jacob doubt his older sons' stories? Because it appears there is no way in heck he is going to put Benjamin in their care. Maybe the old man isn't as dumb as they think he is.

And the drama continues tomorrow.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

October 6, 2026

Scripture: Genesis 41:41-57

Prayer: Lord Jesus, We come before you this morning, thanking you for a new day. Lord, you are good and we rejoice in your holy and powerful name. As we begin our day, Lord, help us focus on you. Help us set aside our scattered thoughts and focus on your Word and what you want us to learn today. We get so distracted and self-consumed. Forgive us for that, Lord. In these next few moments of silence, help us have laser focus on your voice... In Your Powerful Name, Amen.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan. We are currently doing a deep dive into the book of Genesis. Today's reading is the second half of Genesis 40.

Joseph at age thirty is now second in command of Egypt. During the years of abundance, he marries and has two sons. We have discussed before about how the names of Leah's sons had meaning and demonstrated her journey in faith. The names of Joseph's sons also tell a story. His firstborn son is Manasseh, which sounds like the Hebrew word, "to cause to forget." Joseph said, "For...God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's house." Obviously, Joseph's background still was a heavy burden he carried. He probably still missed his father and his home, even though now he is building a new life. God is helping him put the tragedy behind him, but healing is long and hard.

Joseph named his second son Ephraim, which means "to be fruitful." In verse 52, Joseph says that "...God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction." Even in Egypt, Joseph was being fruitful and experiencing good things.

Joseph proves to be an excellent leader. God has given him supernatural wisdom here. During the years of abundance, he diligently saves grain and stores it in all the cities. When the famine hits, Egypt is prepared. The people have food to eat. We can see how Pharoah depends on Joseph here. "Go see Joseph..." he tells the people. And Joseph opens up the storehouses so the people can eat.

Joseph has come a long way and God has seen him through all of it. Think about your own life. How have you seen God walk with you through the hardships and carry your through the difficult times?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

October 5, 2026

Scripture: Genesis 41:1-40

Prayer: Abba Father, We come to you today, grateful for your love and care in our lives. Thank you for your presence and your peace. Help us to gather our scattered thoughts and set aside distractions so we can focus on what you have for us today. In the next few moments of silence, Lord, help me be still and know that you are God...We give you all the glory, Lord Almighty. Amen.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan. We are currently doing a deep dive into the book of Genesis. Today's reading is the first half of Genesis 40.

Everything is in God's timing, isn't it? It's been two years since Joseph interpreted the dreams of the baker of the cupbearer and he has been stuck down in the dungeon. I wonder what Joseph thought during those two years, what his prayers were like. I mean, he had been sold into slavery and then unjustly thrown in prison in this foreign land. There is no indication that he ever doubts God or is angry at him. I'm assuming he simply trusted. But there had to have been some pretty bad days and some pretty desperate prayers. Afterall, he was only human and all of this was traumatic.

But now, the time has come for God to interpret Pharoah's dreams through Joseph. Did you catch how Joseph is careful to not take credit for himself? When Pharoah asks if Joseph can interpret his dreams, Joseph is quick to say that he cannot, but God can. I think this is a great lesson for all of us.

When we do the work of God, it's easy to sometimes take the credit. I have this issue with preaching. Preaching is an activity of God. When we preach, it's God who directs, God who leads, and God who gives words. I obviously have a small part in it, but I couldn't do anything without God. So, if someone likes the message and tells me it's good, I try to make sure I give credit where credit is due – to Jesus! Sometimes, I slip up and don't emphasize that enough. Please know that I'm not comparing myself to Joseph, but I get his drift. We need to be careful.

So, Joseph does some dream interpreting and Pharoah is impressed. He also now knows that Egypt is in for some future trouble. There will be seven years of abundance and seven years of severe famine. That means a lot of organization and preparation. During the years of abundance, they will need to save enough to sustain the people during the famine. Historians estimate that about two million people lived in Egypt at that time, so that is a lot of people to feed during the seven years of famine. Pharoah is going to need a competent person to oversee this whole process. He deliberates and decides, who better to lead the whole endeavor than Joseph?

Thus, Pharoah decides to lift Joseph from model prisoner to second in command of the whole nation of Egypt. He goes from rags to riches, literally, in the matter of a few minutes. God had a bigger plan the whole time. In his timing.

Blessing,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope October 2, 2026 Scripture: Genesis 40 Today's Daily Dose of Hope features Emmy Roberts, Family Ministries Youth & Next Gen Lead at New Hope Church, going deeper with us as we close out the week. The Daily Dose of Hope is a devotional intended to provide context and reflection to the New Hope Church Bible Reading Plan. It's our goal to read the Bible in a year together as a family of faith. Five days a week we read. Two days a week we either rest or catch up. Reading the Bible is the number one way to grow in our walk with Jesus. We have to know God's Word to live God's Word. Now for our Daily Dose of Hope… https://www.findnewhope.com

Daily Dose of Hope

October 1, 2026

Scripture: Genesis 39

Prayer: Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, That my thoughts may all be holy. Act in me, O Holy Spirit, That my work, too, may be holy. Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, That I love but what is holy. Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, To defend all that is holy. Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, That I always may be holy.

Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan. We are doing a deep dive into the book of Genesis, followed by the book of Exodus. Today's reading is Genesis 39.

Today, we turn back to Joseph. He is now in Egypt. It turns out that Potiphar, one of Pharoah's top officials purchases Joseph from the Ishmaelites. He puts Joseph in charge of his home. God is with Joseph. Think about it. Joseph has to learn a new language and a new culture. He does it though. He endures and succeeds. In fact, everything Joseph does is successful so Potiphar puts Joseph in charge of more and more. Is this the arrogant and naïve boy we met a few chapters ago? He has matured. God has been working in him, for sure. By the time we meet Joseph in this chapter, he has risen to a high rank, something like a prime minister.

And then Potiphar's wife takes notice of handsome Joseph. She wants to sleep with him but Joseph refuses. By this point, he knows right from wrong. Joseph's commitment to God enhanced his loyalty to Potiphar. That's the truth. He knows what would disrespect Potiphar but more than anything, he knows what would displease the Lord. But Potiphar's wife is persistent. When Joseph won't sleep with her, she grabs his cloak and tells her husband that Joseph tried to accost her.

Joseph is sent down to the prison, but his sentence seems kind of light for supposedly sexually assaulting Potiphar's wife. We know God is with Joseph, but I'm also thinking Potiphar doesn't totally believe his wife either. Regardless, even down in the jail, Joseph excels. Whatever he does, he excels.

The Lord is with Joseph in slavery and the Lord is with Joseph in jail. As we will see tomorrow, Joseph is in the prison for years. There is no way the conditions could be good. An Egyptian prison today is probably pretty terrible, in 1900BC it had to be really bad. But Joseph endures. God is working in Joseph's heart. Something is happening here that we aren't really privy to, but we will see the result of pretty soon. God is at work.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

September 30, 2026

Scripture: Genesis 38

Prayer: Holy God, We come before you this morning in awe of your blessings and love. Thank you, Lord, for the ways you continue to guide our lives. Lord, we are desperate to know you better. In these next few moments of silence, Jesus, please speak to us. We need to hear your voice... In Your Name, Amen.

Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan. We are doing a deep dive into the book of Genesis, followed by the book of Exodus. Today's reading is Genesis 38.

The story takes a break from Joseph and turns to Judah, his older brother. Judah was a businessman of sorts, he leaves his home and family for financial reasons we assume. He moves away from his Hebrew roots to a Canaanite town. Not surprisingly, he ends up marrying a Canaanite woman. Why is this an issue? As we have mentioned before, the Canaanites worshiped other gods. There was no way this wouldn't seep into the family life of Judah. The whole chapter sees Judah's moral decline.

Judah arranged for his oldest son, Er, to marry a young woman named Tamar. But Er was a wicked man in the Lord's sight, so the Lord took his life. Judah told Er's younger brother Onan to marry Tamar. At the time, they practiced Levirate marriage, which meant if a man died before he produced a male heir, then the next oldest brother would sleep with his sister-in-law to try to produce an heir. The baby would then be considered a child of the dead brother. This may sound weird to us but it was one of several systems that God put in place to ensure that the most vulnerable segments of society would be cared for.

Onan didn't want to have a child who would not be his own heir. So whenever he had sex with Tamar, he spilled the semen on the ground. This prevented her from having a child who would belong to his brother. And the Lord considered Onan evil for doing this, so he killed him too.

Judah decides he doesn't want to risk his third son with Tamar. If Shelah dies, then Judah will be without heirs, and any inheritance he may gain from Jacob will be lost. So he misleads Tamar into waiting until Shelah is grown up. I'm not sure that we can understand the significance of this. This was a grave sin, denying Tamar the ability to have a husband, a male heir or any kind of meaningful life. He doesn't release her from the marriage -he tells her to go live as a widow which means she could not remarry - but he doesn't offer her the option of his third son. Tamar is in a no win situation here. Doomed to live a life of poverty and/or prostitution.

Tamar has taken matters into her own hands. Judah has basically abandoned her. Years have gone by, Shelah the third son is definitely marrying age and Judah has never sent for Tamar. She knows he isn't planning to, nor is he planning to release her from living as a widow. She knows that her fate isn't good unless she does something drastic. So she takes off her widow's clothing and dresses like a prostitute. She hangs out where her father-in-law will see her and he propositions her. So, this gives us more insight into Judah's character. Maybe he frequented prostitutes, Tamar must have somehow known that he would be willing to solicit her.

And Tamar ends up pregnant. Judah finds out and he is ready to execute Tamar. In the end, when Judah finds that he was the guy who got his daughter in law pregnant, he declares her righteous. Even though she was deceptive, she was the one who managed to continue to family line.) Okay, so this whole scenario seems dysfunctional, right? Evil sons, so evil that God kills them. A conniving father-in-law who doesn't care for the well-being of his daughter in law or his family line. A desperate daughter in law who pretends to be a prostitute so her father-in-law can get her pregnant. It all sounds a bit weird. So, what are we to make of this? Why was this included in God's whole story of redemption?

Here are some thoughts:

o Judah leaves his family, leaves all Godly influence, and moves to Canaan. The further we move away from Godly community, the further we will move from God. There is a purpose in gathering with other believers, having a community of worship. We are a forgetful people and we need to be reminded who and whose we are. Judah clearly forgot this.

o The culture of the near east during this time period left much to be desired. Women, children, foreigners were highly vulnerable. They had zero social status and could easily be abused and maligned. God put some structures in place to ensure the care of the most vulnerable - Levirate marriage, gleaning; the prophets spoke out about mistreatment of the poor, the Old Testament clearly speaks of taking care of widows and orphans. Jesus walked closely to the poor, the needy, the oppressed, the outcast. Clearly, God cares for those who are needy and vulnerable and the expectation is that we will as well.

o Finally, this story really demonstrates how God uses broken, messed up people to achieve his purposes. Judah was far from Godly. Tamar, though God called her righteous and she was certainly courageous, she was still a bit deceptive and scrappy. And yet God chose these two people to carry on the line of Jacob. It was the union of these two flawed individuals that produced an heir in the direct line of Jesus. If you look at Matthew 1, Tamar is the first of four women specifically mentioned by name in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. God could have chosen anyone...but he chose them. I love this because it demonstrates how God uses sinful people, flawed people, broken people, people with baggage, people who have failed, people who weren't the best and brightest, imperfect people like you and me, to achieve his purposes. We may not have a great past. We might not even have a super present, but he wants to use us, flaws and all, to expand his Kingdom, to carry out his mission in the world.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

September 29, 2026

Scripture: Genesis 37

Prayer: Almighty Father, Thank you for loving us despite our many faults. Thank you for showing us a different way of doing life. Help us seek holiness in all we do. Help us become the people you desire us to be. As we work through today's Scripture and devotional, I pray that you speak to our hearts. Help us see things differently. We want to hear from you. In Your Name, Amen.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan. We are currently doing a deep dive into the book of Genesis. Today's reading is Genesis 37 and begins the tenth and final major section of the book. The rest of the book will focus primarily on Joseph. We will see that Jacob favoring Joseph will set the story in motion. While God can use anything for his good (and he does in this case), favoritism never turns out well when it comes to children.

In today's reading, Joseph is a very arrogant and naïve 17-year-old and the favorite of his father's many children. Jacob does not keep his favoritism secret, either. He makes this beautiful coat for Joseph, which Joseph wears in front of his other brothers. This is really a recipe for disaster. To make matters worse, Joseph has dreams where the brothers bow down to him and Joseph decides it's a good idea to share these dreams with his brothers! Some things are better kept to ourselves. No wonder the brothers hate him. It appears Joseph thinks a lot of himself and he doesn't mind sharing how great he is with the others. Of course, Jacob has fed that to Joseph for years. We can just sense that this is not going to end well. Between Jacob's favoritism and Joseph's arrogance, something is going to snap among the other brothers.

And we don't have to wait for long for that to happen. Jacob sends Joseph to check on his brothers who are grazing the animals out in the fields. They see him when he is still far off and several of them want to kill him. Reuben the oldest wants to save Joseph's life, understanding the pain this will cause his father. Eventually, Joseph is sold to a band of Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt. This will open us a totally new dynamic to the story.

But the saddest part is that they lie to Jacob and tell him Joseph was devoured by a wild animal. They bring the beautiful coat with some goat blood to him as evidence. And Jacob is, understandably, consumed by grief.

A few thoughts here. First, favoritism or partiality destroys families. Maybe you have seen this or experienced this yourself. It is always destructive. Second, sin has a way of escalating quickly. Jealousy moves quickly to hatred which can move to murder and then lies and deception. So very heartbreaking. Finally, we have to trust that God is going to work through all this mess. God is going to take this brokenness and suffering and work through it and despite of it. We'll get to read more about that in the next few days.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki